Box-holder clamp



' July 19, 1932. J. HERLIHY BOX HOLDER CL'AMP Filed May 6, 1930 gwwemtoz JOHN f/FEL/HY Patented July 19, 1932 UNITED STATES JOHN HERLIHY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK BOX-HOLDER CLAMP Application filed May 6, 1930. Serial No. 450,089.

My invention relates more particularly to cigar-box holding devices by which two boxes may be securely clamped together to form a display in inclined position upon the retailers counter or case with the lid or cover of the lower box providing the support for conveniently displaying the contents of both boxes at an inclination.

The objects of my invention are, among other things, to provide a box-holding clamp of novel construction which may be readily attached and detached from the two box setup and which, when ailixed to the boxes, will hold the boxes tightly together in tilted position as a unit. A further object is to provide a clamp constructed of one piece of material that may be cheaply made with no parts requiring adjustment or repair. My device enables store-keepers to properly display cigars and other articles contained in boxes at the proper angle without requiring a separate support on the counter or case. y

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my inven- 5 tion, Fig. 1 is a perspective View showing the two boxes assembled in tilted position and secured by the holder clamps;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a clamp shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several figures.

Referring to the drawing and more particularly Fig. 1, the lower box 4 has its lid or cover 5 bent back on its hinge 6 so that the lid 5 lies in parallelism with and abutting against the rear side 7 of the box 4. Such lid 5 extends beyond the bottom of the box 1 piece of sheet metal having the flat rectangular body portion 12 with two bent-over hooks 13 and 14 along the top edge of the body 12. The hooks 13 and 14 are substantially alike in structure and are spaced-apart to form the slot 15 which has a width slightly greater than the combined thickness of the lid 5, rear side 7and front sidell of the boxes 4 and 9 respectively. The depending flanges 1,6 and 17 of the hooks 13' and 14 respectively are parallel with the body 12 and spaced from the latter substantially the thickness of the box ends as shown in Figs. 1 and 8. Extending inwardly from the lower edge of the body 12 and at right angles to the body 12 are the 6 fiat arm 18 and 19 spaced apart to form the slot 20 which is slightly larger than the thickness of the lid 5. The inner end of the slot 20 is preferably semi-circular and extends a small distance into the body 12 so that the latter may fit snugly against'the adjacent ends ofthe boxes 4 and 9 as shown in Figs. 1 and2. v 1

In the use of my improved holder clamps, the box lid'5 is first bent back along the hinge 6 so that the lid abuts against the rear side 7. Then the front side .11 of the box 9 with its lid 10 uplifted is brought into abutting position against theinner face of the lid 5 same plane; A clamp is nowplaced at the juncture of the two boxes 4 and 9 so that the The oppositely disposed edges ofthe'fianges formingthe slot 15' bear firmlyagainst the rear side 7 and front side 11 to press same against the lid 5 held therebetween. The slot 15 allows the hooks 13 and 14 to 'be pressed downwardly on the top edges of the box ends as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Then the body portion 12 is moved inwardly so that j the edge of the lid 5 enters the slot 20 with the flatarms 18 and 19 extending inwardly beneath the bottoms of the boxes 4 and' 9" adjacent the lid5. The'arms 1 8 and 19 are frictionally held throughinherent resili the boxes adjacent their ends,

ency against the box bottoms as the body 12 is pressed snugly against the box ends. The other clamp is similarly secured on the opposite side of the boxes 4 and 9 as shown in Fig. 1, and the two boxe 4: and 9 securely clamped may then be set up on the counter 8 with the lid 5 holding the boxes in the desired tilted position with the contents (cigars) clearly exhibited.

These clamps requireivery little material.

and can be readily stamped, bent and manufactured at insignificant costs, yet they afford an eifective device for holding the two boxes 4 and 9 firmly togetherto display the contents of both boxes at the same time at the desired angle on the tore-keepers counter or case. g

' I ciaim as my invention:

1. A-single-piece clamp for holding two boxes side to side as a unit comprising a fiat body portion bearing exteriorly against both box ends and having depending hooks with their opposite inner edges to engage at right angles the abutting sides of the boxes in a surface to-surface contact on the inner sides of said boxes, and arms inwardly extending at right angles from the lower portion of the body to engage the box bottoms adjacent their line of juncture.

2. A single-piece clamp for holding two boxes side to side as a .unit comprising'a body portion having depending hooks to engage in mutual parallelism the abutting ends of the boxes, the inner edges of said hooks engaging the abutting sides of the boxes at right angles thereto, and flat arms inwardly extending from the lower portion of the body to engage the box bottoms with a surface- 'to-"su rface "contact adjacent their line of juncture. 7

3. A single-piece clamp for holding two boxes side to side as a unit comprising a flat body portion bearing exteriorly against both box ends and having depending hooks with their opposite inner edges to engage at right angles the abutting sides of the boxes in a surface-to-surfacecontact on the inner sides of said boxes, and flat arms inwardly extending at right angles from the lower portion of the body to engage the box bottoms with a surface-to-surface contact adjacent their line of juncture.

4. 'A single-piece clamp for holding two boxes side to side as a unit comprising a flat body bearing exteriorly against both box ends at their 'line of juncture, two spaced apart hook members having fiat depending flanges in parallelism with said body portion the inner, oppositely-disposed edges of the flanges bearing against the abutting sides of and two flat arms inwardly extending substantially at right angles from the lower edge of the body portion to engage thebox bottoms adjacent their line "of juncture;

5. A single-piece clamp for holding two boxes side to side as a unit comprising a flat body bearing exteriorly against both box ends at their line of juncture, two spaced apart hook members having flat depending flanges in parallelism with said body portion the inner, oppositely-disposed edges of the flanges hearing at right angles against the abutting sides of the boxes adjacent their ends, and two flat armsiinwardly extending substantially at right angles from the lower edge of the body portion to yieldingly engage the box bottoms with a surface-to-surface contact and j acent their line of juncture.

6. The combination of two boxes arran ed side to side as a unit of detachable means or holding the unit in tilted position in which the hinged lid of the lower box is bent back in parallelism with the rear side of said lower box, of a pair of separable single piece clamps each comprising a flat body bearing exteriorly against the box ends'with depending hooks to engage the abutting sides of the boxes-,and inwardly extending spaced apart arm's "clamping-the bent back lid and engaging the box bottoms adjacent their line of juncture; I I

7. Thecombination of two boxes arranged side to side as a unit of detachable means for holding the unit in tilted position in which the hinged lid of the lower box is bentback in parallelism withthe rear side of said lower box,fof a pair of separablesingle piece clamps each comprising a flat body bearing exapart hooks having depending flanges the teriorly against the box ends with spaced- 3C inner edges of which bear at right angles against the abutting sides of the boxes, and inwardl extending box bottoms adjacent their line of juncture. JOHN HERLIHY.

spaced-apart v arms clamping the bent back lid and engaging the i. 

